Backstory
Sylys was born in -353 DR, in the ancient Empire of Netheril, and was selected from a very young age to study the secrets of the Arcanists and become a devotee and acolyte of the original goddess of magic, Mystryl. However, in -339 DR, when he was only 14 years old, the Netheril Empire collapsed, its great floating cities falling from the sky in the cataclysm that came to be known as Karsus's Folly. As the goddess Mystryl died in this event, sacrificing herself to save The Weave, she was also subjected to a near-infinite vision of potential future timelines, foreseeing many major calamities and catastrophes that might affect Toril in the millennia ahead. In a final act of goodness to help prevent and combat the various evils she had foreseen, Mystryl immediately chose 33 of her worshipers to serve as agents in the future. All of the Chosen were placed in Temporal Stasis-- each set to awaken in a different epoch-- and Mystryl hurriedly filled each of their heads with as many personal visions of their destined era she could. Alongside each Chosen she also placed in stasis a mystical animal companion, to serve as a guides, imbued with the last remnants of the goddess's original spirit. Sylys was one of these chosen, and would remain in stasis for over 1800 years, finally awakening in 1486 DR. Awakening and Discovery by the Bedine Sylys' stasis ended in 1486, when he woke to find himself in an unknown location deep underground somewhere within the The Great Sand Sea, with only vague and shifting and quickly fading memories of who he was or how he came to be there. Of his past, Sylys remembered only that something terrible happened; that "his house fell down;" and that a beautiful woman protected him and sang him to sleep. Sylys was able to make his way to the surface world, and wandered the desert in confusion for many days. He survived only with the assistance of his magical companion, a small magical blue owl who managed to find and bring him water. He came to call the owl "Hoo," as that was the sound she made when asked her name. Sylys was eventually discovered by a rebel group of Bedine, and was allowed to live among them after their leader, Ashurta, took pity on the mysterious, strange boy. In time she would become a mentor, calling Sylys "boba'zily" ('Little Brother' in the Bedine language). Despite the extreme, harsh lifestyle and the inherent danger of being a confused outsider among a dangerous rebel cell, his time among the Bedine was relatively safe and affable. He was even allowed to accompany the rebels on several missions, as they eventually came to see little Sylys as something of a good luck charm During this period Sylys also began to first manifest wild and uncontrolled surges of sorcerous magic (the result of having been directly touched by the dying Mystryl). Luckily, Ashurta herself was a mystic, and able to train Sylys in the rudiments of spellcasting that allowed him to develop some manner of control with his gift. In time, however, Sylys would succumb to something that would plague and affect his entire life-- inexplicable visions that would compel him to embrace an almost reckless wanderlust. After 3 years with the Bedine, after a powerful dream, Sylys decided to join a merchant caravan as it passed nearby. He convinced the caravan's lead merchant to take him on as a helper, and at the age of 17 bade farewell to Ashurta and the Bedine. Caravan Traveler, Taken by the Vaegould Sylys would travel with the merchant caravan for almost two years as it crisscrossed The Great Sand Sea, visiting dozens of settlements and regions along the periphery of the desert. Exposure to these new places and people did much to allow Sylys to shed most of the behavioral and linguistic vestiges of his ancient upbringing, though an increasing penchant for mischief and a troublesome curiosity were beginning to dominate his personality. In 1491 DR, however, when the caravan made its yearly trip to The Ride in order to trade with the local Vaegould tribe, Sylys was promptly seized by the warriors of their village. The local Shaman then accused Sylys of forbidden relations with his daughter during the caravan's visit the previous year, and a pair of twin babies were produced to bolster the accusation. As both of the twin girls possessed bright blue eyes (virtually unheard of among the steppe people of tribes), the claim was very believable. The merchants of the caravan, unwilling to risk a lucrative trading location, almost gladly abandoned Sylys, concluded their trading, and left him to his fate. Sylys was then quickly subjected to a forced wedding ceremony with the Shaman's daughter (so as to retroactively preserve her honor and legitimacy of the children), and then equally as quickly condemned to die, sacrificed to the Vaegould tribe's primordial elemental gods. However, through a series of tricks and manipulations, Sylys was able to not only miraculously avoid execution, but to also supplant the local shaman and take his place. He was able to maintain this charade as a charletan shaman for an entire year, over a year, living in comfort and seeing his baby twin daughters grow. Eventually, though, as the Vaegould grew increasingly skeptical of his reluctance to make the prescribed regular human sacrifices to their gods, he knew it was time to leave, and disappeared one moonless night. Sylys made his way south, and after a long journey and a series of further misadventures throughout the Dalelands, found himself in Cormyr by the age of 20. Adventuring in Cormyr, Thieving the Great Wyrm 20 - 22 Touring Troupe in Amn, Enslaved by Hill Giants, Candlekeep 22-25 Teleportation Mishap, Escape from the Underdark 26 Recovery Among the Elves, Wandering the Silver Marches 28